OSK, Fol. Lat. 258, f. 241r

Magnifice Domine, salutem et commendationem plurimam.

Cum huc appulissem tandem laqueo contrito cf. Vulg. Ps (G) 123:7 ⌊anima nostra quasi avis erepta est de laqueo venantium laqueus contritus est et nos liberati sumuscf. Vulg. Ps (G) 123:7 ⌋, quo iam octo annis et quinque mensibus fueram vinctus[1], et magnificus dominus Rudolphus de Hefelt[2] in domo sua me humanissime tractasset diceretque se ad Magnificentiam Vestram cras iturum, non potui omittere, quin Magnificentiae Vestrae et absolutionem meam ex hoc tam diuturno ergastulo et hanc benevolentiam, qua me bonus iste dominus prosecutus est, declararem. Quam summopere rogo pro iure veteris nostrae amicitiae, quo mihi aliquid Magnificentiam Vestram debere existimo et quo Magnificentiae Vestrae sum vicissim obligatissimus, velit huic bono domino gratias habere, quod Magnificentiae Vestrae veterem amicum adeo in domo sua humaniter tractaverit. Idque mihi non minus erit gratum, quam id, quod gratissimum seque sic erga illum exhibeat, ut cognoscat me (de quo collatus sum) a Magnificentia Vestra amari. Quicquid ... illegible⌈...... illegible⌉ rursus vel in eo vel in casu magis arduo Magnificentia Vestra a me postulaverit, habitura me est propensissimum. Inter eundum a Krems an der Donau (Krebs, Krembs, Crembs), town on the left bank of the Danube in Lower Austria, northwest of Vienna⌊CrembsKrems an der Donau (Krebs, Krembs, Crembs), town on the left bank of the Danube in Lower Austria, northwest of Vienna⌋ amisi canem Anglicum magnum[3] feminam, non procul hinc, rogo agat cum domino Rudolpho, ut illam aliquando et meis impensis habere possim. Sunt mihi eiusdem generis, quos mari ex Antwerp (Antwerpen, Antverpia), city in the Low Countries, from 1315 a Hanseatic port, in the 16th century the centre of Brabant’s artistic life and the wealthiest trade city in Europe, today in northern Belgium⌊AntverpiaAntwerp (Antwerpen, Antverpia), city in the Low Countries, from 1315 a Hanseatic port, in the 16th century the centre of Brabant’s artistic life and the wealthiest trade city in Europe, today in northern Belgium⌋ misi, alii canes, cum quibus illa multos alios propagaret. In eo si Magnificentia Vestra aliquid pro me faciet, super alia in me olim collata beneficia me sibi reddet devinctissimum. Christus dominus noster Magnificentiam Vestram quam diutissime sospitet et prosperet in omnibus.

Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌈Dat(ae)Dat(ae) or Dat(um)⌉ ex villa Sitzendorf an der Schmida, village in Lower Austria, northeast of Krems an der Donau, on the road towards Brno in Moravia, it belonged to the von Rogendorf family from 1514, today a town⌊CzicendorffSitzendorf an der Schmida, village in Lower Austria, northeast of Krems an der Donau, on the road towards Brno in Moravia, it belonged to the von Rogendorf family from 1514, today a town⌋, 16 Iulii anno Domini MDXXXII.

Magnificentiae Vestrae deditissimus Ioannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌊Ioannes DantiscusIoannes Dantiscus (Johannes von Höfen, Ioannes de Curiis, Jan Dantyszek, Johannes Flachsbinder) (*1485 – †1548), eminent diplomat and humanist in the service of the Jagiellons, neo-Latin poet; 1530-1537 Bishop of Kulm; 1537-1548 Bishop of Ermland⌋, episcopus Culmensis, serenissimi Poloniae regis orator, manu propria.

[1] From March 1524 to July 1532, Dantiscus was away from Poland, initially to take over the Italian inheritance of Queen Bona (the Duchy of Bari), and then as a resident representative of the king and queen of Poland at the court of Emperor Charles V in Spain (from 1525 formally as an ambassador). At least from 1528, Dantiscus persistently asked to be recalled to Poland. After an unsuccessful attempt at returning in 1529, Sigismund I finally recalled Dantiscus with a letter from Cracow dated February 17, 1532, and appointed Cornelis De Schepper in his place. However, he ordered Dantiscus to remain with the emperor until he had dealt with the matters of the Duchy of Bari that he had earlier been entrusted with, asking him also to remind the emperor about the expiring truce between János I Zápolya and Ferdinand I. Dantiscus received Sigismund I’s letter on April 6, on the day he arrived at the Reich diet in Regensburg, where he was to arrange a matter entrusted to him in 1531, namely getting the sentence of exile for the duke in Prussia, Albrecht von Hohenzollern, lifted or at least suspended. Ultimately, before he left Regensburg he obtained a petition of the estates of the Reich on suspending the exile for two years (which the emperor fulfilled on August 27, 1532). On July 7, 1532, still from Regensburg, Dantiscus reported to the king and queen of Poland that he had dealt with all matters in hand, and he arrived in Cracow on July 28 (see AT, XIV, No. 76, p. 130-132, No. 77, p. 132-133, No. 309-310, p. 488-490, No. 323-324, p. 504-507, No. 355-356, p. 545-548, No. 395, p. 592, No. 404, p. 603, No. 433, p. 646; Elementa, XLVI, No. 59, p. 80, No. 78, p. 100, cf. Zivier, p. 204-207; Pociecha, II, p. 237; IV, 225-229, 256-258, 266-270; Müller-Blessing, p. 142-147; Deggeller, p. 21; Wyczański 1966, p. 56; see also letter No. 18).

[2] Rudolf von Höhenfeld (d. after August 1532), from a Lower Austrian noble family, probably the same Rudolf von Höhenfeld who was in Maximilian I’s service at least from 1497 and who was the administrator (Pfleger) in Waidhofen an der Thaya (in Lower Austria, northwest of Vienna) on his behalf at least from 1504. Southwest of Waidhofen lies Kirchberg am Walde – the residence of the Höhenfelds (1483-1555). It was probably the same Rudolf von Höhenfeld who was married, from c. 1508, to Helena von Stubenberg, daughter of Wolfgang, and who was an assessor of Charles V in 1520, and as a member of the private council of Ferdinand I was in Vienna under the Turkish siege in 1529 (see RI, XIV, 2, No. 4943; XIV, 4, No. 18749; Loserth, p. 161, No. 960-961; Schimmer, p. 18, see also Herberstein 1855, p. 163, 232; Burkert, p. 191-192; NADAL, III, p. 428-429; cf. letter No. 25, footnote 3!!!).

[3] Canis Anglicus magnus – most probably a massively built guard and hunting dog of the old English mastiff breed, described as canis Anglicus by John Caius (1510-1573) in his treatise, published in London in 1570, De canibus Britannicis liber unus (cf. Cummins, p. 15). These dogs were known in Poland at least from the mid-16th century and called brytańskie (British) dogs (see Latin translation of the Second Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1566), Mikołaj Rej Zwierciadło (1568), cf. SLS, vol. I, col. 1158; SXVI, vol. II, p. 462, vol. XXIV, p. 144)..